Gaseous electric discharge lamp device



Nov. s, 1938. RREFFT ET AL 2,135,718

GASEOUS ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAMP DEVICE Filed Oct. 14, 1957 INVENTORS Hermann 'Kvef 1 r Alfred Rutbe QUGT' W A T'EJIQ EY Patented Nova 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GASEOUS ELECTRIC DISCHARGE LAIVIP DEVICE Hermann Kreflt, Berlin-Friedrichsha'gen, and Alfred Riittenauer, Berlin-Halensee, Germany, assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application October 14, 1937, Serial No. 169,052 In Germany October 20, 1936 3 Claims.

the visible light emitted by the gaseous electric discharge in the lamp.

Mercury vapor discharge lamps of the type provided with a heat conservator, such as a sealed envelope, to increase the efiiciency of the lamp and operating with an elevated container temperature and a high vapor pressure are now known in the art. When lamp devices of this type are provided with a luminescent material 15 which transforms the rays of shorter wave length emitted by the discharge in the lamp, such as the ultra violet rays, into visible rays it is desirable to place the luminescent material on the inner surface of the heat conservator rather than 20 in or on the lamp container to avoid the deleterious effects of the discharge on such material. In such a structure it is, of course, essential that the lamp container consists in whole or in part of a material, such as quartz, capable of trans- 25 mitting the rays which excite the luminescent material to light emissions. We have observed that in spite of the protection of the luminescent material from the deleterious effects of the gaseous electric discharge in the structure described 30 above the light output of the lamp gradually diminishes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a gaseous electric discharge lamp device of the above type which retains its initial lightout- 95 put and efficiency for along useful operating life. Still further objects and advantages attaching to the device and to its use and operation will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following particular description.

We have discovered that the gradual loss in efliciency and light output of the lamp is not due to the discharge lamp per se, but to the luminescent material. We have discovered further that the loss in light output of the luminescent 5 material is caused by the hydrogen and carbon monoxide given off during the operation of the lamp by the walls of the lamp defining the space between the lamp container and the enclosing emelope. These gases are deleterious substances since they react with the luminescent material to cause a diminution in the light output of such .material. Having discovered the cause of the difliculty the .cure therefor is relatively simple.

We accomplish this by introducing into the space between the envelope and the lamp container pure oxygen at a pressure of about to mm. or an oxygen containing gas, such as air, at a pressure of about 50 to 100 mm.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification an embodiment of the 5 invention is shown in a front elevational, partly sectional View.

acteristics, such as a mixture of metallic barium and barium oxide, are sealed into the opposite 20 ends of the container I When desired, an auxiliary starting electrode is mounted in the container l in the well known manner.

The container I is mounted in a sealed vitreous envelope 1, similar to an incandescent lamp bulb, and is supported therein by the current leads 4 and 5 which pass through the stem 6 of said envelope 1. The envelope 1 is provided with a screw base 8 and consists of any of the well known container glasses, such as lead or lime glass. Said container I has a coating of luminescent material thereon, such as calcium tungstate, which is applied thereto by methods now known in the art, such as by using a volatilizable binder, such as a mixture of glycerin and amyl acetate. In the manufacture of the lamp the space Ill between the container I and the envelope l is filled with oxygen or an oxygen containing gas, such as air, at the pressures indicated above.

A lamp having the structure described above is a highly efiicient light source which retains its initial eiilciency for a long useful operating life.

While We have shown and described and have pointed out in the annexed claims certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its use and operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the invention, for example, other types of luminescent material, such as zinc cadmium sulphide, or zinc silicate, may be used as the luminescent material, when desired, and, when desired, the luminescentcoating is applied to selected portions of the inner surface of the envelope 1.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

1. A gaseous electric discharge lamp device comprising a container, a gaseous atmosphere therein, electrodes sealed therein and a sealed envelope enclosing said container, said envelope having a coating of luminescent material on the inner surface thereof and having an oxygen containing gas therein at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

2. A gaseous electric discharge lamp device comprising a container, a gaseous atmosphere therein, electrodes sealed therein and a sealed HERMANN mam. ALFRED R'U'I'IENAUER. 

